“Black Lives Matter” Protests Continue

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Yesterday protestors in New York and Washington, D.C., continued to march for Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and the many other black lives that have been lost due to police brutality.

In New York 25,000 people gathered to march through Manhattan in the largest march since the Grand Jury declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the Eric Garner case.

In Washington, D.C., Al Sharpton and his non-profit organization, National Action Network, organized the “Justice for All” march.

Sharpton (via reason.com): “This is not a black march, or a white march, but an American march for the rights of American people. Bad cops and their allies “thought it would be kept quiet. You thought you’d sweep it under the rug. You thought there’d be no limelight. But we’re going to keep the light on Michael Brown, on Eric Garner, on Tamir Rice, on all of these victims because the only way—I come out of the hood—the only way you make roaches run is you got to cut the light on.”

Sharpton invited the families of the persons who inspired the march to the speak.

Eric Garner’s wife, Esaw Garner and one of his daughters; Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice; the father of John Crawford; the brother of Cary Ball; Levar Jones; Kadiatou Diallo, the mother of Amadou Diallo, all spoke at the march.

(via reason.com): Diallo held up a 2000 issue of Time magazine and noted that her son’s story had made it on the cover; the crowd cheered. She read the cover blurb: Cops, Brutality & Race. “And today,” said Diallo, “16 years later we are standing still and debating the same thing.” If a palpable awkward silence can descend on a crowd of thousands, it did.

Diallo also spoke about Sean Bell, a young black man that was gunned down in front of a strip club while leaving his bachelor party. Bell, and two of his friends, where shot in a hail of 50 bullets by police officers. Bell was the only one that did not survive, and he was killed the morning before his wedding.

Diablo says that when she went to see Sean Bell in the hospital we was handcuffed to his bed.

Diallo finished with this statement: (via reason.com): In all of these cases we have to ask the same question: “Why (do) our sons look suspicious?” said Diallo. “Time and time again, we are going through the same history, and reliving the tragedy every time, … Our sons died so that we could come here and review what is happening,” have a conversation, make reforms, and then heal. “We want to heal,” Diallo added, with all the doubt and wariness but cautious optimism of someone who’s been fighting this particular battle for more than a decade. “We need healing America.”